The present invention relates to a cartridge which facilitates the transport and storage of a fluid and, more specifically, relates to a cartridge for holding and, if desired, mixing a first and a second fluid.
Chemical sterilization is often preferable when an object being sterilized is thermosensitive and prone to wear when subjected to high temperatures. However, the use of a suitable mixture for sterilization is often complicated by difficulties incurred during the transport and storage of the components of the mixture.
For example, once the various components of a mixture for sterilization are combined, the shelf life of the overall mixture is often fairly limited. Limited shelf lives require that the mixture be used soon after the actual time when the various components were mixed. This reduces the usefulness of chemical sterilization as only limited amounts of a sterilizing mixture can be distributed for use because of the inability of end users to store the mixture for a reasonable length of time due to the limited shelf life.
One alternative to shipping the pre-mixed mixture is to ship the various components separately. While this often overcomes the difficulties associated with the limited shelf life of the resulting mixture of the component, other difficulties develop when shipping the various components of the mixture separately. For example, when shipping concentrated component solutions, special packing and shipping procedures may need to be followed due to the potentially hazardous nature of various components of the mixture when they are in a more concentrated and undiluted form. Additionally, the mixing of the various components by users requires that extra safety precautions be taken to prevent injury to the personnel that prepare the mixture. Moreover, when personnel are relied upon to properly measure and combine various components of the mixture, errors in the resulting mixture often occur.
Accordingly, the use of chemical sterilization currently presents many difficulties. As discussed above, some of the problems that are inherent in using chemical sterilization include the need for specialized shipping procedures, limited shelf life, inability to store the mixture for extended periods of time, hazards presented to personnel who mix the various components, and errors in mixing the separate components in the proper amounts.
What is currently needed in the chemical sterilization art is a device for shipping the various components of a mixture in a manner that does not require additional safeguards or special shipping procedures, that maintains the shelf life of the various components of the mixture to allow for reasonable storage periods, and that simplifies the mixing of the components to allow personnel to safely and easily mix the various components while preventing errors due to the mixing of improper amounts of the various components.
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a cartridge for holding a first and a second fluid including an outer capsule containing the first fluid and having a first end and a second end. An inner capsule is enclosed within the outer capsule and is positioned such that while the outer capsule is in a first position the inner capsule is positioned in a generally spaced apart relationship from the first end and the second end of the outer capsule. The inner capsule contains the second fluid. At least one spike is positioned on at least one of the first end and the second end of the outer capsule. The at least one spike is attached to an inner surface of the outer capsule and is oriented toward the inner capsule for piercing the inner capsule when the outer capsule is deformed. Wherein the outer capsule is deformable into a second position permitting the at least one spike to penetrate the inner capsule allowing the first fluid and the second fluid to mix.
The present invention is alternatively directed toward a base unit for receiving a cartridge having an outer capsule containing a first fluid and enclosing an inner capsule containing a second fluid. The base unit includes a body having a recess that receives the cartridge. A first perforating tube is disposed in the recess of the body. The first perforating tube has a distal end adapted to perforate the outer capsule for conveying a gas into the cartridge. A second perforating tube is disposed in the recess of the body. The second perforating tube has a distal end adapted to perforate the outer capsule for removing at least the first fluid from the cartridge.
The present invention is alternatively directed to a system for mixing a first fluid and a second fluid. The system includes a cartridge including an outer capsule containing the first fluid and having a first end and a second end. An inner capsule is enclosed within the outer capsule and is positioned such that while the outer capsule is in a first position the inner capsule is positioned in a generally spaced apart relationship from the first end and the second end of the outer capsule. The inner capsule contains the second fluid. At least one spike is positioned on at least one of the first end and the second end of the outer capsule. The at least one spike is attached to an inner surface of the outer capsule and is oriented toward the inner capsule for piercing the inner capsule when the outer capsule is deformed. Wherein the outer capsule is deformable into a second position permitting the at least one spike to penetrate the inner capsule allowing the first fluid and the second fluid to mix. The system further includes a base unit including a body having a recess that receives the cartridge. A first perforating tube is disposed in the recess of the body. The first perforating tube has a distal end adapted to perforate the outer capsule for conveying a gas into the cartridge. A second perforating tube is disposed in the recess of the body. The second perforating tube has a distal end adapted to perforate the outer capsule for removing at least the first fluid from the cartridge.